


Go-Between, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Children, F/M, Family, Friendship, Post Bartlett Administration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-24
Updated: 2008-08-24
Packaged: 2019-05-30 11:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15095996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Abbey has a hard time talking to Danny now that she is a teenager.





	Go-Between, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

"Hey, pal. Why don't you go upstairs and get changed? I'm gonna  
drop your sister off at Kyla's and then we're going with Josh, Noah  
and Davy to the bowling alley." Danny watches PJ playing his video  
game system in front of the T.V. and reaches to pick the pillows up  
off the floor and put them back on the couch where they belong. Socks,  
sweaters and jackets litter the den floor because the three of them  
hadn't picked up after themselves for a week. CJ's been gone a week  
and the kids have already destroyed the house. He doesn't know why the  
kids feel they can abandon their chores just because their mother is  
half way across the world paving the African continent with high ways.  
But, truthfully, Danny hasn't exactly been harping after them to clean  
up. "PJ, you've been playing Nintendo since you got home from school.  
Time for a break. Clean up your games, go upstairs and change out of  
your uniform and tidy up your room while you're there. Mom will be  
back tomorrow and you'll be in big trouble if she sees the mess you've  
created in there."

 

PJ stops his game and turns around to face his father. " Don't  
you mean you'll be in trouble?" The eleven year old smiles devilishly.

"Now!" Danny raises his voice firmly. "Or you can spend the night  
doing laundry instead of bowling with your friends."

"Okay, okay!" PJ gives in and starts packing up his game consul  
to put in the cupboard of the entertainment unit.

Danny grabs Abbey's backpack off the couch and carries it into  
the kitchen. Knowing Abbey likely tossed her dirty gym and basketball  
clothes in there today and hasn't washed them in at least a week,  
Danny unzips the bag with the intention to throw the clothes in the  
laundry room. But as he carries them to the laundry room, he notices  
a small stain on the crotch of her gym shorts. His eyes widen in  
realization and horror. Of all the times for Abbey to get her period  
for the first time, did it have to be while CJ was oceans away? Danny  
curses out loud as he tosses the clothes back into the backpack and  
slings it over his arm. He marches up the stairs and down the hallway  
until he reaches Abbey's door. He raps lightly, holding his breath,  
contemplating what to say to his twelve year-old daughter.

Abbey emerges at the door in a pair of sweats, her hair pulled  
back into a loose pony-tail.

Danny is surprised not to find Abbey in her favourite jeans and  
tank-top now that Friday has arrived. " Honey, you're not dressed to  
go out."

Averting her eyes, Abbey nods demurely. "Um, yeah. I don't think I  
feel like going to Kyla's tonight. I…uh...have a bit of a  
stomach-ache. Is it okay if I just stay in tonight, Dad?"

Swallowing hard, Danny nods. " Sure, sweets. Whatever you like.  
Well here's your backpack. I'm just gonna call Josh and ask him to  
take PJ bowling with him and the boys."

Abbey shakes her head." No, Dad. You're supposed to go with him.  
I don't want you to change your plans. Just go. I'll be fine."

Danny smiles warmly and wraps an arm around his daughter's  
shoulder. "That's okay, honey. I need to be around to give you  
medicine or in case you get sick to your stomach."

"Daaaad," Abbey protests.

Danny offers Abbey another smile. "No, sweetie. It's my job to  
take care of you. Your mother would kill me if I left you here alone  
sick while I went out bowling. Come on, it'll be fun. We can watch a  
movie and I'll pop some popcorn. If you're feeling better I'll  
challenge you to a game of baseball on the Wii and I'll make my famous  
egg creams. Whadda ya say?"

Abbey rolls her eyes. "I couldn't get more lame if I tried…Okay,  
fine." She tries to put on a smile for her dad, but Danny sees right  
through it. She doesn't want her dad's company tonight.

* * *  
`Hello?" The familiar feminine voice answers on the other line.

"Hey, Donna. It's Danny. How are you?"

"I'm good. Hold on, I'll get Josh." Donna's voice trails off.

"Act…actually, Donna, I kinda wanted to talk to you," Danny  
admits painfully, sitting at the desk of his home office.

"Oh, all right. What's up? Is everything okay?"

Sighing deeply, Danny responds. " Um…not fully. Abbey…Abbey got  
her period for the first time. CJ won't be back til tomorrow and I  
don't know what to do. I can't call her because she's ten hours ahead  
of us and she's already at the airport and she'll think there's an  
emergency. I just don't know what to do now. I thought maybe you  
could help."

Donna's smile translates through the line. "Don't worry, Danny.  
It's going to be fine. What happened when she told you?"

"She didn't. She doesn't know I know. I found her gym clothes,"  
Danny relays.

"Oh, dear," Donna breathes out.

"I didn't want to make her uncomfortable or anything. I figured  
if she wanted me to know she'd tell me," Danny explains his reasoning.

"She's probably just as scared and confused as you are, Danny.  
Would you like me to come over and talk to her? She probably needs a  
woman to talk to. Ideally that woman should be CJ, but biology isn't  
always convenient. "

Danny rolls his eyes. " You're telling me. Actually, I was  
thinking maybe you could spend the evening with her. She doesn't want  
to go to her friend's anymore. I offered to stay home and take care of  
her but I think that plan made her uncomfortable. She might feel  
better just watching movies with you and Ella tonight."

"Sure, Danny, we can do that. Why don't you put Abbey on the  
phone and I'll invite her over tonight so it won't seem like you're  
suspiciously sending her away?"

Danny physically breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much,  
Donna. I can't tell you how you're saving my ass. I owe you big. If  
Abbey wants to talk about it, please just go along with it and answer  
any questions she may have. But if she's silent then don't push. I  
know CJ's talked to her a little about how her body's going to change  
and sex and stuff, so there shouldn't be any huge mysterious for her."

Donna has to laugh lightly. " Don't worry, Danny. If she wants to  
talk, I'll keep it age appropriate. I won't say anything that CJ  
wouldn't want her to know." Donna knows that she and Josh have  
basically identical parenting techniques as CJ and Danny when it comes  
to their children. She feels pretty confident that CJ won't be upset  
with anything Donna discusses with Abbey. Both women focused on being  
honest and encouraging their daughters' healthy self-esteem when  
discussing womanly issues with them. At the very least, tonight will  
give Donna a good opportunity to discuss body maturity and sex with  
ten year-old Ella, who hasn't yet really asked her about these topics.  
But knowing that Abbey is going through puberty reminds Donna that her  
own little girl is not too far behind.

"Yeah, I completely trust you. Thanks again, Donna."  
* * *  
"Come on in, Abbey," Donna ushers the pre-teen in while Noah and  
Davy exchange hellos and follow Josh out onto the porch, where Danny  
and PJ are waiting for them. "Okay, guys. Have a good night. And Josh,  
please avoid letting them have a lot of sugar or you'll be up all  
night dealing with Davy's upset stomach. And don't be late."

Josh rolls his eyes and offers his wife a dimply grin. "Whatever  
you say, dear. You sure you ladies don't wanna join us?"

Ella shakes her head of long blonde hair. "I don't like bowling."  
Once Donna closes the door, Ella turns around. " I gotta go call  
Genevra before we start the movie."

"Okay, sweetie," Donna calls as Ella runs upstairs. She folds her  
hands together and smiles warmly at Abbey. " Your dad said you had a  
bit of a stomach ache. Can I get you some Tylenol or some ginger ale  
or anything? Are you thirsty or hungry? We were planning on ordering a  
pizza soon. But if you don't feel like that I can make some soup or  
dry toast or…"

Abbey puts a hand up and laughs quickly. " No, no thanks. I'm  
fine, Donna, really. Please don't change your plans for me."

Nodding her head, Donna lets it go. "All right. But don't  
hesitate to speak up. Is there anything else?" Donna's voice trails  
off, hoping to provide Abbey with an opening.

"Actually," Abbey begins nervously, troubling her bottom lip.  
"This is really awkward. I…uh…I got my first period today. I…I don't  
have any pads or tampons or anything at home. I…"

Donna bobs her head in understanding. "Come on upstairs, I'll get  
you what you need. Do you feel okay?" Donna looks inquisitively at  
Abbey and rubs her forearm.

Abbey nods quickly. " Yeah. It's just…I wish my mom was home now.  
I didn't really want to ask my dad to go buy me the stuff. It's a  
little embarrassing."

Donna smiles knowingly. " I know what you mean. But I know your  
father and I know he would gladly go to the store and buy you pads if  
that was what you wanted. He wouldn't get that embarrassed. But if  
you'd like, I can just give you enough supplies for the next few days  
until your mom can go shopping."

"Thanks," Abbey says gratefully as they ascend the stairs. "I  
kinda wish my mom hadn't already gone through menopause or I'd have  
the stuff at home."

Donna has to laugh a little. "Yeah, I wouldn't tell her that if I  
were you."

* * *

"Hey, babe. Is everything okay?" Danny greets his wife, having  
recognized the line of the Hollis private jet that was calling his  
cell. He strides over to a corner in the bowling alley in order to  
hear better.

"You shouldn't be so presumptuous. I could have been Frank  
calling." CJ laughs airily, obviously very tired. "I had to call. I  
missed you," admits CJ's weary voice.

Danny can't help but beam. " We miss you, too. I can't wait to  
get you back. I hate crawling into an empty, cold bed. Hey, why  
aren't you sleeping on the plane?"

" Well, next time I'll leave you a life-like manikin of myself.  
And I can't sleep on planes. You know that," CJ reminds her husband.

"Well you should be sleeping. Do you know when you'll be  
landing?" Danny inquires.

"At eleven. Are you still coming to the airport?" CJ is exhausted  
and anxious to get back to her family. She can't wait to hug the  
children and crawl into bed tomorrow night beside her husband and  
finally succumb to sleep.

"Absolutely. We'll all be there in fifteen hours. I'm counting  
down the minutes. The kids are glad to have you coming home."

"Danny? I'm gonna need to declare the house a federal disaster  
area, aren't I?" CJ remembers that the kids and Danny routinely get  
lazier when she goes away.

Danny's smile widens. "We're waking up at seven to tidy up and  
Frances will be here at 9:30 to clean. It'll be like you never left."

"You can just say `no'. You may no longer be the nice parent,  
but it'll give you a tremendous sense of power."

"CJ, " Danny discontinues the banter. " We got a bigger problem.  
Well, it's not that big, but…Abbey got her period."

"Oh, fuck!" CJ curses under her breath. " Of all the times…"

"I know." Danny experiences a dÏ©jÏ  vu of what went through his  
head when he discovered it.

"Is she okay? What did she say to you?" CJ inquires quickly.  
She's so disappointed in herself for missing this. Poor Abbey.

"Yeah, I think she's fine. But...she didn't really say anything  
to me. She doesn't know I know. I found her gym clothes with a stain."

"She doesn't know you know?" CJ screams angrily. " Well, God,  
Danny, what are you waiting for?"

"It's not easy. I don't wanna…embarrass her or make her feel  
awkward." Danny doesn't know how to tell his wife that he's scared  
because he's always been able to have frank conversations with his  
daughter. Now that she's growing into a young woman, a little  
awkwardness has settled in between them, and he doesn't know if that  
is naturally inevitable or if he's losing touch with his daughter.

CJ calms herself down and tries to put herself in Danny's shoes.  
"Okay, fine. But you need to talk to her. Why don't you put her on and  
I'll talk to her?"

"I can't," Danny explains. " I'm at the bowling alley with PJ,  
Josh, Noah and Davy. Abbey's at the Lyman's with Donna and Ella."

CJ's eyes widen. " So you didn't talk to her about her period and  
then you dumped her at the Lyman's while you went bowling?"

"No! It wasn't like that. I called Donna for help. I offered to  
stay home with Abbey tonight but I could tell she didn't want that. I  
think she really needed a woman tonight. Well, she needed you. But in  
absence of that, I got her the next best thing: Donna. I asked Donna  
to spend some time with her tonight incase she wanted to ask her  
questions and talk about it."

Sighing, CJ decides to give Danny some points for trying. "Danny,  
your heart was in the right place. I know you tried. And I'm sure  
Donna will be a great comfort for Abbey. She probably does need a  
woman right now, but she also needs her father. So here's what you  
should do: On the way home, go to a drugstore. Buy some pads and  
tampons, Midol a Cosmo Girl magazine and a Snickers bar. When you get  
home, give the stuff to Abbey and tell her how you found out. Tell her  
that you thought she'd want to spend the evening with Donna and not  
you. Ask her if she feels okay and if she has anything she wants to  
talk about. Try to stay calm and answer any questions she has. If you  
get stuck, tell her I'll talk to her tomorrow when I get home. "

"But, CJ…"

"You'll be fine. She's a twelve year-old girl, she's not that  
scary,"CJ chuckles lightly.

Danny wants to tell his wife that that's the scariest thing in the  
world to him.  
* * *  
When Abbey hears a gentle tap at her door, she sets her brush on  
her dresser and opens it to her father, carrying a plastic bag in one  
hand.

"Can I come in?" Danny asks carefully, nervous about the  
impending conversation.

"Sure. I was just getting ready for bed." Abbey steps aside to  
let her dad enter. He walks across the room and seats himself on her  
desk chair.

" Did you have a good time with Donna and Ella?" He asks  
conversationally.

"Yeah. We watched chick flicks and ate pizza," the girl responds  
softly.

"Good. Good." Danny watches Abbey sit on her bed and pull her  
home-made quilt across her lap. "Honey, I…I know you got your period.  
I saw your gym shorts. I was gonna put them in the laundry."

Abbey gasps quietly.

"I…I should have just told you I found out when it happened. But  
I thought maybe the reason you didn't tell me was because you might  
feel embarrassed or weird about talking to me about it." Danny wants  
to make sure Abbey understands his reasoning, but her eyes are focused  
on her quilt. "I thought you'd want to talk to a woman, so I asked  
Donna to spend the evening with you."

"I'm…I'm sorry, Dad. But I thought it would make you  
uncomfortable. I thought you'd freak out about me growing up like you  
did when Mom took me to the mall to buy my first bra," admits Abbey  
solemnly. It was obvious how hard it is for her father to watch her  
maturing.

"Abbey," Danny breathes out, silently admonishing himself for not  
being a mature adult and putting aside his own discomfort for the sake  
of his daughter. "I'm sorry you felt that way. I don't want you to  
think you can't talk to me anymore just because you're growing up.  
You'll always be my little girl, and just because I'm not thrilled  
about the idea of letting you go, doesn't mean you should feel the  
need to hide things from me. If I'm uncomfortable, that's my problem  
and I'll have to learn to deal with it. But you should know that I'm  
always here when you want me. I'm not as good as Mom at talking about  
womanhood and sex and all that, but if you've got questions then I'll  
do my best to answer them honestly."

Abbey allows her face to relax into a small smile. " Thanks,  
Daddy. I talked to Donna a little. And Mom prepared me for what to  
expect during puberty. So I think I'll be fine."

Nodding, Danny begins to relax. This hadn't been as bad as he  
thought. "Good. And, ya know, Mom will be back tomorrow. But this is  
to get you through til then." He extends his arm and hands her the bag.

"What's this?" Abbey rummages through the contents.

"I've been told it's the teen girl menstruation survival kit."  
Danny can't help but smirk.

Abbey smiles back in gratitude. "Thanks. I'm sure that was  
embarrassing."

Danny shrugs to say it was nothing. "The fifteen year-old boy at  
the counter asked if I was buying it for my granddaughter. And when  
you read the magazine, skip past the articles on how to be a better  
kisser, the make-up tips and the pictures of the cute boys."

Abbey bursts out laughing. She jumps off the bed and envelopes  
Danny in a tight squeeze. " So basically all the good parts? And I  
don't think you look THAT old. Thank you, Daddy. And no matter how  
old I get, I'll always still love you and need you as my father."

Danny exhales audibly and kisses the top of Abbey's curly head.  
"Oh, baby, you have no idea how good that sounds. I hope that never  
changes." A single hot tear drizzles down Danny's cheek, which he  
hurries to wipe away.

* * *

"Well, it looks pretty good in here. The house is still in one  
piece, you're all alive. I guess that's all I asked for," CJ teases as  
the family files into the foyer around noon the next day.

"Is it good to be home, back on American soil, hon?" Danny asks,  
pulling CJ's luggage behind him.

"God bless America," CJ responds with a chuckle, pulling PJ in and  
wrapping her long arm around her son.

"I'm gonna take your luggage upstairs," Danny informs CJ.

Watching her husband ascend the stairs, she turns back to PJ once  
Danny disappeared into the hallway. "You terrorized him, didn't you?"  
Even though collectively Danny has spent more time watching the kids  
solely than CJ has by herself, they still tend to get a little crazy  
when she's gone for any extended periods of time.

"Let's just say he's gonna need a night of sports and beer on the  
couch," Abbey responds.

PJ throws his hands up in the air. "Don't look at me. I only ever  
went to school, Robbie's and Mitch's. The rest of the time I was doing  
homework, reading or playing Nintendo. Abbey's the one needing drives  
to basketball, gymnastics, Kyla's, Stacy's, the mall…"

"Yeah, moron, she gets it. She lives here. Besides, you are SO  
more high-maintenance than me." Abbey rolls her eyes haughtily at her  
younger brother.

CJ brings a hand up to rub her temple. "Okay, that's enough. I  
haven't slept in two days. Even when my batteries are fully charged  
your bickering is enough to drain me. Why don't you go and start  
making us some grilled cheese and vegetable soup for lunch? I'll be  
down in a few minutes. I've gotta shower and change."

PJ heads into the kitchen but Abbey cautiously follows CJ  
upstairs. In the hall, CJ turns around and draws Abbey into a tight  
hug. She kisses her head, places both hands on either side of Abbey's  
face and kisses the center of her forehead.

"Your dad told me what happened yesterday. Are you all right?"

Abbey bobs her head with a twisted smile.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I really should have been there."  
CJ gives Abbey a pained, regretful look.

"Yeah, I wished you could have been. But Donna and Dad were  
pretty good about it." Abbey stands there as CJ holds her hands.

"Well congratulations, sweetheart. You're now a woman. I'm gonna  
clean up and then we'll eat. But this afternoon, we'll have a nice,  
long chat, lie around in sweats and watch bad movies. How does that  
sound?" CJ can't help but run a hand through a loose curl on Abbey's  
head. She can't believe how fast she's grown. It seems like just  
yesterday she was landing round-offs in kinder-gym and helping her  
bake muffins on a Sunday afternoon.

Beaming, Abbey nods in approval. "That sounds perfect, Mom."

* * *

"Mom," Abbey pushes herself forward on the couch in the den and  
takes her attention away from the movie to look at her mother beside  
her. "You were pretty old when you and Daddy got married. What made  
you wait so long? Why did you want to be with Daddy forever? How'd you  
know?"

CJ retreats inside her memories for a moment, contemplating her  
answer. Truthfully, CJ hadn't known for certain that she wanted to  
spend her life with Danny until after the miscarriage when they had  
several long discussions about what they wanted out of their future  
and what they needed from their respective partner. Danny's continuous  
pursuing of her throughout the years and his constant demonstration of  
interest and even loyalty had not been enough. His repeated  
declarations of commitment and inducements of fidelity in the initial  
stages of their consummated relationship had not sufficed for her. In  
order to commit to an entwined life together CJ had to be confident  
that she understood the very soul that possessed that man. She had to  
know in her very being that he could be trusted with her entire world.  
It wasn't until she put her job aside to truly focus on their  
relationship that she knew for sure that she and Danny had a  
connection that could endure everything. But the children didn't know  
about the miscarriage and they were too young to be told all the  
intimate details of their parents' past. "Once I truly knew your  
father inside and out, and I knew that he was absolutely incapable of  
breaking my heart did I fully begin to trust him. I felt like there  
was some divinely pre-destined plan linking our souls and destinies  
together. I knew we were supposed to get married and raise beautiful  
children together. He was…and still is…the most incredible man I know.  
I guess I just understood that my life wouldn't be complete without him."

"It's like a fairy tale," Abbey gushes with a smile.

CJ's eyes widen and she shakes her head." It doesn't always seem  
like that. I'll be the first to admit that your father isn't perfect.  
And neither am I. No person can be perfect. But our unique good and  
bad traits seem to mesh and compliment each other. We're greater than  
the sum of our parts. We fight and disagree and we don't always do the  
right thing. We've never been through a marriage before. We've got a  
handle on it after thirteen years, but sometimes we're still lost  
up-shore without a paddle and just struggling to find our way. We  
don't have all the answers. We fumble and make mistakes. It's really  
difficult sometimes, and occasionally you think it'd be easier if you  
hadn't have made that commitment. There are certain instances when you  
need to be selfish and just do what you want to do. But with a  
marriage and a family, you've always got to consider the best  
interests of the entire unit. But at the end of the day, we know that  
we wouldn't experience even half the wonderful pleasures of life if we  
didn't have each other, and you and your brother."

Abbey's expression is stunned and impressed at the same time.  
"Wow. I didn't realize how complicated marriage and relationships are."

CJ laughs softly and nods wholeheartedly. "They certainly are. But  
I assure you I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't know what I'd  
do without Dad and you and PJ." CJ reaches for he daughter and pulls  
her in close to snuggle.

"Dad goes mental when you're even apart for a week," Abbey gives  
as evidence of CJ's remarks.

Chuckling, CJ responds " Very true."

"I decided I wanna have a marriage like you and Daddy have, some  
day when I'm older." The girl delivers her statement with conviction.

Instead of laughing or criticizing, CJ nods seriously. "That's  
one of my greatest wishes for you. And you know what? I know you will  
some day. You're going to meet someone very special. You're a  
wonderful young woman and some very lucky man will be very glad to  
have you. He'll love you for who you truly are and not expect you to  
change for him. But just remember, you're strong enough and special  
enough that you don't need a boy to make you feel that way. Worry  
about getting good grades, playing sports, building lasting  
friendships, helping the planet and being part of a family. There will  
be plenty of time later for you to worry about finding a man you want  
to spend the rest of your life with. And when you do, don't ever  
settle because you think you only get one shot at it. Remember I had  
to kiss a lot of toads before I finally found my prince."

"Well, I'm leaving the toads to wait a while in the pond before I  
pucker up," Abbey giggles. "It'll be a long time before I'm ready to  
have sex. But when I do, it'll be with someone who really loves me and  
respects me and with someone who I can see a future with."

"And you'll be sure to be safe and responsible. You'll use a  
condom and ask him about his sexual history. You always have to  
consider the potential negative consequences of sex and discuss that  
with your boyfriend. You have to worry about infections, diseases and  
pregnancy. And ,if you want, you can come to me and we'll get you on  
birth control. I'll try not to judge you and lecture you. But you'll  
always be my daughter and I'll always look out for your physical and  
emotional well-being. So I won't be encouraging you to go off doing  
whatever you want. But I know that you're a smart girl and you have a  
lot of self-confidence and respect for your body. So when you make the  
decision, it won't be rash and based on immediate desires, but it'll  
be carefully considered and thought through maturely."

Abbey simply nods. " Yeah. Exactly."

CJ changes the subject, wanting to cover one last topic in case  
the men folk come inside and interrupt their talk. "Abbey, do you  
think your father did a good job handling your first period? I mean,  
he didn't freak out."

"Yeah, he was fine. Not like the bra fiasco." Abbey rolls her  
eyes and shudders in remembrance.

Clearing her throat, CJ tries to articulate everything  
clearly."Honey, I think he's having a hard time talking to you now  
because you're growing up. He doesn't know where to draw the line  
between what you should and shouldn't discuss. I think he imagines an  
invisible wall building between you that he knows exists but can't  
quite place. I want you guys to keep your closeness. I don't want  
this wall to get any bigger. You should still involve your father in  
important parts of your life. I know it might be difficult and not  
always pleasant. He has a very hard time letting you grow and gain  
independence. Maybe that's because we nearly lost you when you had  
cancer. But you don't have kids to keep them little forever. And even  
though it's hard for him to see you becoming a woman capable of living  
her own self-sufficient life, he knows deep inside that that's the  
most important thing a parent could want for their child. I know  
that's how my father felt when I was going through puberty. But I  
couldn't understand that when I was your age, so it was frustrating.  
And when we had trouble communicating, my mother would come along and  
explain each side's position to the other in ways we could better  
understand and relate to. She kinda built a bridge to cross that  
invisible wall. I guess I'm just trying to say that if you want help  
talking to Dad, there's no better mediator than me. I can soften what  
he says and tell you what he really means inside. And I can put your  
opinions and requests to him in a way he can learn to accept. I think  
I know you both very well, so I want you to come to me if you're  
struggling. Okay? Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, Mom," smiles Abbey. " I have a feeling you're gonna have  
to be doing that a lot now.

 

* * *

" You didn't talk about sex, did you?" Danny asks his wife,  
folding her freshly laundered clothes and stacking them on the bed.  
The girls had taken over the den that afternoon, so Danny took PJ  
outside to shoot hoops and play catch. PJ read for the remainder of  
the afternoon until his mom and sister were finished their " girly  
time". Then he and CJ played Nintendo for a half an hour before CJ  
said she needed a break. Danny took control of dinner so CJ could  
relax and get back into routine while playing with the kids. But  
Danny assured CJ that tonight they would find time to be alone and  
catch up on what they'd missed.

"No, I told her that even though babies are magically delivered  
by stork, women's bodies need to change for reasons unknown to  
humankind." CJ rolls her eyes and shakes her head, setting her under  
clothes in a drawer.

Now Danny rolls his eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"If you're asking if I made it sound fun and exciting and  
encouraged her to go out and find a boyfriend immediately, the answer  
is no. In fact, I told her that sometimes it isn't even worth it.  
Sometimes I'm tired and would much rather read." CJ struggles to keep  
a straight face as Danny's face falls in horror.

"Are you saying sex with me isn't worth it?" Danny's eyes nearly  
budge out of his sockets.

CJ can't control her laughter. "No, honey. That was a joke. Relax.  
I kept it age appropriate. I told her that she shouldn't rush into  
anything she isn't ready for and she should make sure she and her  
boyfriend are mature enough to talk about any possible negative  
consequences and how they would deal with them if they arose. Said  
boyfriend should always respect her wishes and never put pressure on  
her, or he isn't worth being with. Preferably they should be deeply  
in love, and she'll only know what that means when it happens. She  
understands that her body isn't a toy to be taken lightly and she must  
respect it and take care of it. She knows she shouldn't attempt to  
change her body or personality to attract men and get them to like  
her. A good quality man that is actually worth her time will love her  
for who she is and not expect her to change. I talked to her about  
birth control and encouraged her to be honest with me so if she does  
make the decision then at least she's being safe. So, does that sound  
okay, or do you wanna initiate a do-over?" She can't help but crack a  
small smile. She's confident she handled it well, and knows deep  
within that her husband agrees.

"Well, I would have preferred to hear a couple words like God,  
Bible, church,convent, chastity, prudence, abstinence and marriage in  
there. But all in all, you did a much better job than I would have  
done." Danny takes a seat on the bed and drops his head.

CJ half smiles as she perches next to her husband and takes his  
hand. "You did fine."

"I feel like I'm losing her. I don't even know my own daughter  
anymore. She's growing up so fast and I can't keep pace." Danny draws  
in a ragged breath. "She used to be able to come to me when she had a  
problem. Now that she's turning into a teenager, the kind of problems  
she has can longer be fixed by kissing her bruised knee or fixing her  
favourite stuffed toy when the stuffing pokes through. The problems  
she'll have she won't wanna talk to me about. She's only gonna want  
her mother. And while I love that you two can bond, I can't help but  
be a little jealous."

 

CJ gazes deep into his troubled blue eyes. "She is maturing. But  
I promise you, Danny, you will never be cut out of her life. She's  
still always going to need her father's love and protection. And  
you're still the number one man in her life and her greatest hero."

Danny frowns and shakes his head helplessly. "That's not gonna  
last. She'll get a boyfriend and eventually a husband and he'll  
replace me faster than I can blink."

CJ rubs her husband's hands soothingly in hers. "Danny, she's  
twelve. I think it'll be a long time before we have to worry about her  
seriously dating. Take it from a woman, she won't forget about you. I  
know it's scary to know that the kids aren't little anymore. We had so  
much fun watching grow from babies into these wonderful, spirited  
people. But we've still got a lot of really important parenting left.  
Abbey's gonna seek your advice about what courses to take in high  
school, what college to go to, what jobs to take. She'll probably get  
her heart broken and come crying to you and you'll assure her that the  
creep who did it doesn't know what he's missing and not all men are  
like that. She has lots of hard times ahead where we'll be there for  
her. And she still has so many hallmark moments in the future where  
we'll be immensely proud of her and blessed to have such an amazing  
child. I swear to you, Danny, this is not the end of your  
relationship with your daughter; it's only the beginning."

"Yeah, you're right," Danny exhales in agreement. "Just promise  
you'll help me with Abbey during these tough times? I don't wanna lose  
touch with her just because we find it more difficult to talk about  
these new interests and problems in her life."

With a relieved smile, CJ bobs her head. She managed to calm down  
both her daughter and husband and make them feel more confident about  
their changing relationship. "I'll always be there to help. You may be  
a great writer, but I can see your protective feelings for Abbey  
clouding your communication. Just always bear in mind that she wants  
to have fun and be like a regular kid. I know she needs rules and  
boundaries, but she also needs to be able to live her life and foster  
independence. She doesn't know what it's like to be a parent of a  
teenager and she won't for a really long time. So I guess I just want  
you to cut her some slack if she wants to go out with her friends to a  
movie by themselves or wants to shave her legs and wear make-up. She  
should be able to do what she wants so long as she is being safe and  
responsible. She can go out as long as we know who she's with, where  
they're going and how to get a hold of her. If she understands that  
our rules are designed to keep her safe and make her a good person and  
not stifle her individuality, she'll respect them more. So we're not  
gonna adopt arbitrary rules, okay?"

 

"Yeah. But if she wants to do something that we don't approve of,  
then we can't let her. We have to be able to put our foot down. Our  
number one priority is protecting her and keeping her safe, not  
ensuring she has an exciting adolescence." Danny feels the need to  
remind CJ of this. Not that CJ is advocating letting the children run  
wild. In fact, CJ is usually the stricter parent (but the couple is  
still a united front on all decisions), and the past week is evidence  
of that.

"Of course. I'm not suggesting we let her get away with murder. I  
just don't want you to freak out if she asks to do something…teenage."  
CJ can't anticipate every little thing Abbey may want to do in the  
future, but she's pretty sure going out with boys, going to parties  
with her friends and wearing make-up will be demands she'll have in  
the near future.

"I'll try," Danny assures. " Hey, have I ever told you how lucky  
I am to have you as a partner in this?" Danny lifts CJ's hand to his  
lips and drops a kiss there.

CJ offers her signature toothy grin. "Well, I certainly woudln't  
want to be doing this with anyone else. You may overreact sometimes,  
but you're a wonderful father to our children and I'm lucky that  
you're so devoted to our family. You're also an incredible husband and  
partner."

Wagging his brows suggestively, Danny wraps both arms around CJ's  
slender back. "Let me show you how incredible."

CJ throws her head back and laughs throatily as Danny gently  
eases her onto her back. "Mmmmm…Well, I guess you deserve it. You did  
keep the house and kids in relative order while I was gone."

Cupping CJ's cheek against his palm, Danny gazes longingly into  
her eyes. "I love you so much."

CJ reaches up to entangle her fingers in the loose curls at the  
nape of Danny's neck. "I love you, too."

The End

 

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